Here is part two of the three piece discussion of Alina Wheeler’s book Designing Brand Identity. The second section of the book discusses the process of designing brand identities and how to design for different mediums and uses.

No matter what is being designed, to be successful, one must follow the process and designing for brands is no different. Wheeler divides up this section of the book into five stages that of the process. The five stages she discusses are 1. Conducting Research, 2. Clarifying Strategy, 3. Designing Identity, 4. Creating Touchpoints, 5. Managing Assets.

CONDUCTING RESEARCH
RESEARCH
The first stage of any project needs to be research. In order to design an identity, one must know the company and understand what it’s about. There are two different types of research to be conducted: primary (information designed to fit specific needs) and secondary (interpretation and application of existing data).

The basic information of the company can be obtained simply by acquiring background materials—secondary research—including:
Annual Reports
Business Plans
CEO Speeches
Employee Surveys
Existing Marketing Research
History
Intranet Access.
Marketing Plans
Mission
Press Releases
Value Statement
Vision

To get more in depth information about the company one must conduct primary research. This usually involves talking with someone with deep knowledge of the company. These individuals typically hold key management positions such as CEO, President, Vice-President, Manager. When conducting this research, it is best done face-to-face but if necessary can be done over the phone or via video conferencing.

Some important questions to ask during interviews include:
What business are you in?
Why was the company created?
Who is your target market?
What is your competitive advantage? What do you do better than anyone else?
How do you market your product and services?
What are the trends and changes that affect your industry?
How do you measure success?
If you could communicate a single message about your company, what would it be?

In addition to information about what the company is, has done, and wants to do, it’s also necessary to do marketing research to find out customer perceptions. The information from this research will be either qualitative—showing perceptions, beliefs, feelings, and motives of the customer— quantitative—giving statistical data to represent the customers as a whole. Some different types of marketing research include:

• Ethnography
• Eye Tracking
• Focus Groups
• Mystery Shopping
• One-on-one Interviews
• Online Surveys
• Product Testing
• Segmentation

CLARIFYING STRATEGY
NARROWING THE FOCUS
“A brand becomes stronger when you narrow the focus” - Al Ries and Laura Ries, The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding
Once all of the necessary research has been done, it is time to narrow the focus. This is the point where all of the research is sorted through and analyzed. Once the research is analyzed, it is time to consider what it means and deicide the next steps. Using the knowledge gained from the research, it’s time to define the essence of the brand, create a positioning platform, and decide what the big idea is. Narrowing the focus is critical to moving forward with the brand identity and finishing it successfully.

BRAND BRIEF and CREATIVE BRIEF
The brand brief is a documentation of the “fundamental precepts of the brand”. The brand brief is typically a one page diagram that defines the following components:

• Vision
• Mission
• Big Idea or Brand Essence
• Brand Attributes
• Value Proposition
• Guiding Principles / Key Beliefs
• Target Audience
• Key Markets
• Key Competitors
• Competitive Advantage
• Stakeholders
• Driving Force

The brief is used as a reference to be sure that everyone is sticking to the ideals of the brand.

NAMING
Once the Big Idea has been decided and brand brief is completed, the naming can begin. Naming is an in depth process and as more and more products, services, and companies are created, the availability of names is becoming less and less. When naming, it takes a variety of brainstorming techniques to create lists and lists of name options and to narrow those lists down to just the good, usable, creative names. As the names are being narrowed, it’s important to keep the positioning goals, performance criteria, and availability in mind. It’s also important to make sure the connotations of the name fit the feeling that need to be portrayed about the company.

“Don’t pick a name that makes you one of the trees in the forest, and then spend the rest of your marketing budget trying to stand out.” - Danny Altman, A Hundred Monkeys.

DESIGNING IDENTITY
DESIGNING SYMBOLS AND WORD MARKS
After the name has been decided, the look of the brand can be created. The design of the brand consists of the signature; this usually includes the brand mark and the logotype. The brand mark is a symbol that represents the company, this can be straight forward or abstract. The logotype is the name of the company or product. It is illustrated  using a defined typeface which has been modified, redrawn, or used as it is. The logotype, or word mark, needs to be distinctive as well as durable and sustainable.

COLOR
“Color creates emotion, triggers memory, and gives sensation.” - Gael Towey, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia

Color should be used to reinforce and emphasize the feeling of the brand. It also stimulates brand association and helps to differentiate it from others. Colors can be used in a brand for different reasons. They can be used to unify the identity, clarify brand architecture, and differentiate product or business lines.

TYPOGRAPHY
“Type is magical. It not only communicates a word’s information, but it conveys a subliminal message.” - Erik Spiekermann, Stop stealing sheep.

Typography is possibly the most important part of an effective identity. Many of the most well-known companies use typography that is legible, recognizable, and memorable.  Some examples include:

When choosing a typeface remember:

• It must be flexible and easy to use
• It must provide a large range of expression
• Typeface choices must compliment the signature, not necessarily replicate the signature.
• It should convey feeling and reflect positioning
• It must cover the range of application needs.
• It must be able to work in black and white or color
• It should have personality
• It must be different from the competition’s

SOUND
“Designing and integrating the right sound enhances the experience of a brand.” - Kenny Kahn, Muzak

More and more, sound is becoming the next frontier for brand identity. From telling us what road to take next to leading us through an automated information service, sound is already being used to make many of our everyday tasks easier.

When using sound, a few things to consider:

• The sound must compliment the existing brand
• Music can trigger an emotional response
• Aural and Visual branding are becoming increasingly complimentary
• Many audio effects are subliminal

MOTION
Using motion to bring an idea to life allows more three-dimensional thinking and helps to expand creativity. The animated representation of a brand should be thought of at the beginning of the process, not left as an after thought at the end.

Motion Principles:

There must be a reason behind every decision made in the process of creating motion graphics.
Animation should support brand essence, strive to communicate the brand’s personality, and elaborate on the agenda expressed in the static mark.
Animation should evolve from the visual language of the brand identity.
Animation should tell a story.
In this medium, movement is the expression and special care should be given to rhythm, speed, and transitions that define the mood and emotional appeal of the piece.

APPLICATIONS
“Dwell on possibilities.” - Emily Dickinson

It’s important to have a group of real life applications on which to test the brand identity.  A mark should never be shown just on a blank piece of paper, it should always be used in context and with real content. The list of applications for the identity is endless but some possibilities include:

• Business Card
• Home Page
• Advertisements
• Brochure Cover
• Letterhead
• Stationary
• Bags
• Signs
• Hats
• Writing Utensils

When testing the concept:

Choose the most challenging applications
Choose the most visible applications
Examine the flexibility of the identity
Will it work in different media?
Can it move?
Will it be conductive to brand extensions?
Will it work in other cultures?
Is it scalable?